Three officers from the Tactical Aid Unit at Greater Manchester Police were proud to receive a Bravery Award at the Chief Constable’s Awards.
The recognition was given for an incident in October 2023, when they attended a call regarding a woman in the water at Salford Quays.
Close to midnight, PC Colin Harrison, PC Joseph Dearnaley and PC Nicholas Leach were forced to act quickly, with low visibility and sub-zero freezing water temperatures.
They came to the rescue of the woman in the water and also dealt with her concerned husband, as well as distressed members of the public.
With no life support rings available in the immediate vicinity, the men tried to reach her with emergency rescue lines but were unsuccessful.
With crucial time ticking PCs Dearnaley and Leach got into the water and swam 60 meters in freezing temperatures to help the woman, who by this point was unable to assist in her own recovery.
PC Harrison, the designated TAU team leader, maintained command and control and ensured both officers had emergency rescue lines to subsequently keep them safe too.
Members of the public assisted in pulling the officers and the woman towards the edge of the quay, using the emergency lines.
Chief inspector Paul Bray from the Specialist Operations Branch said: “All three officers deserve this recognition for their selfless actions on that night. As officers we are always wanting to keep the public safe but, on this occasion, they went above and beyond that put their lives at danger.
“Their heroic efforts saved that woman’s life that night and meant she got the help and support she needed afterwards.
“As Tactical Aid Unit officers they attend a variety of high-risk incidents and warrants to provide specialist support to colleagues and the public when needed. They are terrific individuals who we are proud to have as part of our team.”
In the officers’ awards citation from senior leaders it stated: “All three officers acted in the finest traditions of British policing and their actions underpinned the attestation they took when they joined GMP.”
After being given the award PCs Leach and Dearnaley said: “It’s our biggest achievement to date within our policing careers, due to the nature of the incident and the recognition it’s received.
“We were excited to share the award with our families, friends and other colleagues who were in attendance at the incident on the evening – it was a real team effort including PCs Thind and Felton, who were both involved in the incident as well and crucial to the incident in speaking with emergency service colleagues and members of the public.”
